Convincing California voters to approve his “fight fire with fire” plan to draw up new congressional district maps might prove a heavy lift for Gov. Gavin Newsom.

A poll conducted by Politico-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab found that just 36% of state voters support putting redistricting back in the hands of the state Legislature. That compares to 64% favoring the independent redistricting commission.

The pollsters conducted interviews with 1,445 registered voters in English and Spanish from Monday, July 28, to Tuesday, Aug. 12, and the poll has a modeling error estimate of 2.6 percentage points.

Back in 2010, when Californians approved having the commission — not the Legislature — draw congressional boundaries, 61.3% of voters said yes to Proposition 20.

McCarthy Hopes to Raise $100 Million to Fight Newsom

In addition, commission supporters and Republicans appear well on their way to assembling a formidable war chest to counter Newsom’s attempt to neutralize what could happen in Texas with that state’s congressional maps.

Politico reports former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is tapping his network in an effort to sink Newsom’s plan. McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican, rose to the speakership in part because of his prodigious fundraising.

“McCarthy recently told his former home-state congressional delegation that he’s aiming to raise $100 million, according to two of the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss internal planning,” Politico’s California Playbook reported.

According to previous reporting by multiple sources, Charles Munger Jr. could contribute up to $30 million to defeat Newsom’s proposal. In 2010, Munger filed the ballot language for Prop. 20 and was its largest financial backer.

California Special Election Set for Nov. 4

Newsom officially announced on Thursday that California will hold a Nov. 4 special election on new congressional maps. He called the move a direct response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas.

“Don’t mess with the great Golden State,” Newsom said, accusing former President Donald Trump of trying to “rig the election.” Hoping to retain a Republican majority in the House in the 2026 midterms, the president pressured Texas lawmakers to redraw maps to favor more GOP candidates.

Newsom said his plan allows California to redraw maps in 2026, 2028 and 2030 to pick up more Dem seats. That duty would return to the independent commission after the 2030 census.